Erik Solheim Quotations

We are all deeply concerned with the recent escalation of violence. We call upon both sides to put a stop to the violence.

Let us keep expectations at a realistic level.

Now the two sides will go back to Sri Lanka and implement what they have agreed during the talks.

The purpose of the visit is to brief India about what Norway had been doing. We will assist both India and Sri Lanka to find a peaceful solution to the problem.

There is a need to create a climate that is conducive to peace. The violence has to stop.

It is of paramount importance that both parties should meet urgently and start talks toward consolidating the cease- fire agreement.

I think there's no other place in the entire world where four major key world religions are meeting themselves on one small island and they all make up a substantial part of the population. If this was easy to solve, it would have been solved a long time back.

I strongly urge the two parties to meet in Geneva on April 19 - 21 as planned.

There is little confidence at the start between the two sides. Confidence can only increase, but it starts at a low level.

There is a tendency to wait for Norway to arrive and pull a rabbit out of a hat. There should be no doubt that it is up to the two parties to resolve (their problems), with the help of Norway and the international community.

We call upon both the government and the LTTE to immediately come to the table and immediately discuss the cease-fire. Venue is not the central issue. The central issue is simply to come to table.

We call upon both the government and the L.T.T.E. to immediately come to the table and immediately discuss the ceasefire. Venue is not the central issue. The central issue is simply to come to table.

We are working with the parties on an hour-to-hour basis to do whatever possible to bring them back to the negotiating table in Geneva as soon as possible and to put a stop to this violence.

We will do whatever we can from the Norwegian side to try and find a solution ... to the present withering situation at the peninsula, and also to the long time settlement of the Tamil aspirations,

There is real enthusiasm for peace but possibly not real enthusiasm for the necessary compromises. I would not advise on the specifics of the compromises. It's a complex matter.

The parties are taking a small but very significant step towards putting the peace process back on a positive track. And we expect the negotiations to be tough.

What should be achieved is increasing confidence between the parties and agreement for a new meeting.

Both sides have agreed on the need to meet and decide how the cease-fire can be implemented better.

Both sides agreed there is a need to come together to decide how the ceasefire can be implemented in a better manner. I expect Geneva to be the venue.

We expect the Geneva talks to go ahead. We are at a crucial moment where the peace process can be moved forward. The time is right now.

We expect Geneva to be the venue for such a meeting.

As soon as the parties bring the peace process back on track (...) donors will be more than ready to support them.

A date has been agreed between the government, the Tigers and Oslo.

The big risk are spoilers who want to produce violence to undermine this positive effort. At the moment the parties should do their utmost to stop violence, but they should not let violent elements and spoilers derail the process.

They should not underestimate the difficulties. We have to talk to the Swiss before we can announce a date.

There may be a need for more meetings. They would be held in Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe.

It is very positive that the parties have agreed to meet at a high level to discuss how to improve the serious security situation.

It's going from bad to worse. It's very worrying. It's a kind of shadow war.

Confidence can only increase, but they have started at a very low level.

It's completely insane, it is a major setback for the peace process,

I'm happy to announce that the parties have agreed to discuss the ceasefire agreement.

In order to keep the violence from escalating further, it is urgent to get the two parties to sit down together to discuss how to ensure that the ceasefire agreement is observed and how the peace process can be advanced.

In order to get the parties to the table it is crucial that the ceasefire is respected. If we can make some progress during my visit, I will be satisfied.

The (hoped-for) outcome of this meeting will be some way of strengthening the agreement on the cease-fire and hopefully that parties will meet again.

The high level of violence and the tragic loss of life are putting the cease-fire agreement at risk and will make it very difficult to secure further progress in the peace process.